Discuss the role and function of Teiresias in the play “Antigone”.

The role and function of Teiresias is an exceptional creation in the plot of Sophocles’ drama. It was necessary for Sophocles to introduce Teiresias in “Antigone” as he was a part of the myth. As Greek tragedies are full of Gods, Goddess, divines and prophetic speeches, the introduction of Teiresias is essential to prove the drama as a perfect tragedy.

Teiresias was the blind prophet of Thebes. In Greek mythology he was known as a living oracle (divine) gifted with the power of prophecy. The conversation between Teiresias and Creon is very important for the construction of the plot. The scene shows Creon’s cruelty and his disregard towards the prophet or any religious belief. The audience feel horror (fear) at the prophecy and feel pity (kind) for Creon thinking. Though Teiresias is blind, he can see the truth. On the other hand, Creon can’t see the truth with his eyes. Teiresias says;                                 

                                                             “The time shall come,

And soon your house will be filled lamentation of men and women.”

Sophocles uses the legendary character of Teiresias with great advantages. The plot of the drama is such that it surely needs Teiresias. The prophet is highly respected personality in Thebes. His prophecy is gifted by one of the Gods, Apollo. But another God modified it that nobody will believe his prophecy. However, we can see that his prophecy becomes true at the end of the play, Antigone.

Conflict is the essence of any drama. The play “Antigone” is based on the conflict between patriotic and religious ideals. Creon stands for the patriotic ideal and Antigone stands for the religious ideal. Polynices, son of Oedipus, came to attack his own homeland and wanted to win the throne of Thebes. But Eteocles, another son of Oedipus, came to save the land. They killed each other in the battle. Eteocles is buried with state honour. On the other hand, the dead body of Polynices is forbidden to bury by Creon. Because,the king considers him as a traitor.

 In this sense, Creon is the most blameless nationalist. But Antigone defies (disobey) the order of the king because of two reasons. The first is her sisterly feelings and the second is her obedience to divine law. Meanwhile, we have understood that who is wrong or right. The prophet makes clear the wish of Gods and says that it is obligatory to bury the dead body. Here,the opinion of prophet is conflict between the king and the prophecy and it goes on the side of Antigone. This conflict is absolutely a dramatic point of the play. 

At first, Creon receives cordially the prophet and asks him what news he has brought. Then the prophet replies that he had brought some news and some advice for Creon. The king says that he has never failed to follow the advice of the prophet before. But after that the dialogue becomes serious and alarming. The prophet says that God’s command is to bury a dead body. So the dead body of Polynices should be buried and his blood is of none but Oedipus. The prophet says; 

Creon reacts angrily with the statement that goes against the order of the king. He says that the prophet is moved by his self-will. The old prophet feels very insulting and criticizes the king for his incapability to realize the advice. The king becomes more bitter in his remarks and warns the prophet not to forget that he is speaking in front the king. Then Teiresias reminds Creon that he is the king guided by the prophet.

Thus, Teresias is compelled to make the frightening prophecy. The prophet warns again the king that the death of his son will be the payment of the death of Antigone. Another death will happen due to the dead which is still lying unburied. Creon has no alter it. This is the outcome of Creon’s misdeeds. Teiresias says; 

“You shall have given a son of your own loins

To death, in payment for death – two to pay.”

It is very surprising for the audience that Creon defies the prophet who is an honourable person in the city. The king has no special consideration for the prophet. On the other hand, the prophet is failed to show the humanity.

At last, the impact of the prophet’s uttering resounds around the whole stage. The Chorus and Creon feel afraid of it. The king goes to undo his misdeeds giving honour to Polynices and spare Antigone. By this time, Antigone has already hanged herself, Haemon has stabbed himself and queen committed suicide. All these happened as a result of Creon’s misjudgment. The king realized his errors and wanted to heed the advice. But it was too late.

However, the character of Teiresias serves a dramatic purpose to the play. We could not realize the character of Creon if there was no activities of Teiresias. The prophet’s principle is to always speak the truth. He knows the truth. When the king gets angry, he doesn’t stop the speaking the truth

Write a note on the function of the Chorus in “Antigone”.

In Greek tragedy, the chorus is a grope of persons who speak, remark, sing or advise according to the demand of the plot. In most of the Greek tragedies we find the activities of the chorus. The chorus has its own tradition, philosophy and mode. History attests (certify) the fact that the chorus is a vital role in Greek tragedy. The role of the chorus changes from playwright to playwright.

The function of the chorus is to sing songs at appropriate intervals, commenting on the characters and the development of the plot. But it also participates in the dialogue and the action of the play. The choral song is the media of expressing emotion or moral of the audience. Sophocles makes use of chorus with great advantage. Let’s discuss the function of the chorus elaborately.

The chorus consists of twelve or fifteen ‘Elders’ of Thebes and sings about six songs. It doesn’t speak towards the audience but it presents the view point of faith of Thebes as a whole. It provides many necessary information for the audience.

The first song of the chorus serves the emotion of Thebes as a whole. It is highly a patriotic song as well as it reveals religious or moral significance. It criticizes the boast of man. It also refers to power of Almighty God.

The second song of the chorus is a glorification of man. Among the many wonder of earth the greatest is man. Man rides on the ocean and his way through the dangerous sea. He is the master of ageless earth. He can work hard and plough crops every year. He is the lord of all creatures of the earth. He is cunning to capture and dominate them with hand. He makes the use of language to converse. He finds the laws of living together. He makes the building to shelter himself from rain and wintry weather. Man has ability to be good or bad. The person is honorable who obeys the laws of God.

The third song of the chorus refers to the curse of Labdacus’ family which still continues to Antigone. Antigone, the last victimized member of the house is going to die for pride tounge. The law of Zeus is that human being is to suffer. Roving ambition rises men but it also brings downfall to many others. Thus, the choral songs remind the audience about the family tragedy of Labdacus. At the same time the chorus considers Antigone to be guilty. The chorus ends with the arrival of Haemon.

The subject of the fourth song is power and might of love. Love wings all battles and defeats all forces. Love can mislead one. It can cause a serious rift in the family. In this way, the chorus refers the talking of Creon and Haemon. Haemon comes to correct Creon of his misjudgment of Antigone. This song participates also Creon’s law.

The fifth song is sung after the lamentation of Antigone. It also refers to the same punishment of others. The song doesn’t bring about the consolation to Antigone but refers to the same example of human sufferings.

The last song of the chorus is an appeal to Dionysus. It describes that Dionysus has many names. He is the son of Zeus. In this song Chorus realizes that the city is polluted by the misdeed of the king. So, it wishes Dionysus to help the people of Thebes.

Antigone is a famous play of Sophocles. It is a tragic tale with a tragic ending. The chorus brings us a different story. It plays a very significant part of the play Antigone. First it relaxes the watcher or the reader from the suspense. Second, it teaches. Third, it tells some past characters in the play to know them better.

The chorus is not only the major part of Antigone but also the most insightful part of this play. The members of chorus tell Creon and the audience very important truths about themselves. The chorus talks about death, love and other forces. It shows the problems which we face throughout our life.

Through the chorus the king begins to see that he is wrong and God is superior to himself. This play also tells us a lot about humans in general that they are not interested in anything but the fulfillment of their own needs. And they refuse to see that something may be more powerful than themselves. This revealing is the main theme of the play.

This play could not exist without the chorus. The singers give too much to the structure of the play. The king changes greatly throughout the play, he starts as a best friend but latter in the play he becomes more and more ruthless. Without them Creon could never changed as a person. He also learns through them some important things about love, especially that is unconquerable.

This entire (full) play runs around the chorus, who gives insight to the characters. These actors provides the audience with knowledge about the human condition and entertain. Without their odes (songs) the play would have been incomplete

The conflict between human laws and divine laws?

In the play Antigne the conflict between human law and divine law becomes apparent. Human law is represented by the king Creon and divine law is represented by Antigone. There are also other characters in the play who support Antigone, such as, Haemon, Teiresias. In other words the conflict in the play is not of personalities but of ideologies– the conflict of principles. The king supports the view of secular or political while others upholds (supports) the religious spirit. 

In Antigone, the conflict is an external conflict. The plot develops through a conflict between Creon and Antigone. Actually this is the conflict between the human law and divine law.

Creon comes to clash with one by one Antigone, Haemon and Teiresias. As a king Creon stands for the state which is governed by the fixed laws. But Antigone and others believe in something divine which is also unavoidable. In fact, Antigone is unable to appreciate the position of Creon. At the same time, Creon has also failed to appreciate the divine law. Both remain strict in their own principles and don’t tolerate each other’s views. In this way, tragedy befalls them both.

At the beginning of the drama Creon appears as a wise and good ruler. He is sincere, patriotic and selfless. He is dutiful and careful about the welfare of his country. Eteocles, one  of the brothers of Antigone, died for country. For this reason, the king orders to bury him with state honour. His noble deeds will make him live in the heart of man. On the other hand, Polyneces, another brother of Antigone, came to fight against his own country and died. His sin is unforgivable. So, the king forbids to bury his dead body even falls to be eaten by the animals. 

Creon deems (considers) his judgment to be right. Because, he is careful about the welfare of his country. The person, who is harmful to his country, can never be called friend. According to him, Eteocles is the friend of country whereas Polyneces is the traitor. A patriot and a traitor are never received the same honour. Thus, Crion is blameless in his view. 

Divine law is obviously something hard to understand. The king becomes so blind to his authority that he never paid heed (attention) to other’s advice. At the end of the drama, he came to realize the value of the divine law. But he was too late to avoid the tragedy.

Antigone is determined to bury her brother’s dead body whereas the king forbids it. She is ready to disobey the order of the king to obey the laws of Gods. She is not afraid of death to show her love and responsibility for her brother. So, we see that she is lady of complete to obey the law of God. She says;  

             “….I will bury my brother, And if I die for it, what happiness !” 

According to Antigone the laws Gods are everlasting. She says; 

                   “They are not yesterday or today but everlasting.” 

So every should obey the law of God.

The son of Creon, Haemon is also in support of divine law. He supports Antigone. The vital reason is that he falls in love of Antigone and promises to marry her. But he doesn’t express his love in front of his father. The other reason is that the people of the city stand for Antigone and deem her death penalty is unjust. According to the people Antigone has done her duty. Haemon thinks Antigone’s action to be honourable.

Teiresias who is known as a prophet supports the divine law. He says that the sufferings of the city are due to Creon’s misdeeds. The Gods are displeased with Creon’s misjudgment. The prophet warns the king that the death of his son will be the payment of the death of Aantigone. Another death will happen due to the dead which is still lying unburied. Creon has no alter it. He says;

                      “Creon is going to lose his son as the punishment.” 

To the Greek belief, the soul can’t find peace if the dead body is dishououred. When a man is killed, it is punishment enough for his sins.

Thus, at the end of the drama we see that both Antigone and Creon justly meet their doom. At first Creon seemed to be a good ruler. But he was wrong in not appreciating Antigone and what Haemon said to him. At last he finds himself as a guilty person. If he could forgive Antigone he might not have to lose his son and wife. And he lived a peaceful life.

Discuss Antigone as a Tragic Character

Character is one of the significant aspects or themes of a drama. The greatness of a writer mainly depends on the successful presentation of characters. In this respect, Sophocles is completely successful in describing the character of Antigone. 

Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus, the former king of Thebes. She is the princess of Thebes. Among the four children of Oedipus, she is the last victimized member of the family. Her elder sister is Ismene. Her two brothers are Polynices and Eteocles. Polynices came to attack his own homeland. On the other hand, Eteocles wanted to save the land. The two brothers killed each other in the battle field. The king Creon, their uncle, forbids to bury the dead body of Polynices. Because, according to the king he is a traitor of the country. On the other hand, Eteocles is buried with the state honour. But Antigone wanted to bury Polynices. The play Antigone starts in this point.

The play is named after Antigone. She is the central figure in the drama and the main theme of the play. She is neither a political character nor a philosophical character. She has been described as a common human figure. She is the embodiment of common loss, pain, sorrow, suffering, feelings and love. 

Her presence in the play has made the drama convincing (believable) to the reader. She is a real tragic figure. The identity of Antigone tells that she belongs to the royal family. She is bearing blue blood. We have come to know that she was given death penalty. But it does not mean that she committed any crime.

Antigone is a character who is quite conscious of her own responsibilities. In the play we see that she is guided by her own consideration. According to her a dead body must be buried. She thinks that this is the law of God and every human being should obey it. 

Antigone is determined to bury the dead body of her brother whereas the king forbids it. She is ready to disobey the order of the king to obey the laws of Gods. She is not afraid of death to show her love and responsibility for her brother. So we see that she is lady of complete love and affection to her brother.

 Antigone says;    

                                           “….I will bury my brother,

And if I die for it,what happiness !”

Antigone appears as a dutiful sister. It’s painful for any sister to see her dead brother to be eaten up by animals. It’s inhuman indeed and she can’t do it. So, Antigone revolts against the order of the king. And she promises to bury her brother’s dead body. For this, she wants the help of her sister, Ismene. Though Antigone has been taken to imprison in a rocky (stone) cave, she is strict to her religion and principle. 

In fact, Antigone defies the order of the king for two reasons. The first is her sisterly feelings and the second is her obedience to the divine law. The religious value is more important to her than the laws of the state. Creon says that the patriot and the traitor should not be given equal judgment. Antigone replies that she is not afraid of Creon’s penalty. Death is her choice rather than living in daily torments (tortures). According to Antigone, the laws of Gods are everlasting.  She says;

“They are not yesterday or today but everlasting.”

Like other common ladies, she also dreams for future, dreams for having a husband and children. She falls in love with Haemon, son of the king. Haemon also loves her. He has said that if he dies, does not die alone. Naturally when a woman falls in love, she does not think of any other things. But Antigone is an exceptional girl in this respect. 

According to Aristotle, the tragic character is good but not perfect. It also can be told in case of Antigone. Her sense of divinity is praise-worthy indeed. But there is some lacks in her character.

Antigone fulfils all the characteristics of a tragic character. Inspite of having some weakness, she has many human qualities. With this combination of good and weakness he has been turned into true human character. The dramatist has been totally successful in depicting (describing) the character of Antigone. Moreover, Sophocles’ Antigone inspired the poets and dramatists in posterity (future)

About This Blog

This is my first post in this English Literature based blog "About Literature".Actually I will try to discuss here about English Literature.Its genre,reign,poetry,novel,diction,epitaph etc.I will discuss about some important questions and also its answer,which will help the readers as well as all the students of  English Literature.

English Literature is a literature which is written in English Language., the most popular language in this present world.Actually English Literature is composed by some British writers or poets.From theirs reign its exploit wholly.English Literature is contains Poetry,Prose,Novel,Drama etc.I will discuss in these all subjects in another post.